GIS-Based Sediment Quality Database for the St. Louis River Area of Concern (AOC): Overview Presentations and Demonstration

Transcription

1 GIS-Based Sediment Quality Database for the St. Louis River Area of Concern (AOC): Overview Presentations and Demonstration Judy L. Crane 1 and Dawn E. Smorong 2 1 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, St. Paul, MN 2 MacDonald Environmental Sciences Ltd., Nanaimo, BC Funding provided by the U.S. EPA s Great Lakes National Program Office through Grant #GL

2 Project Overview

3 Background Contaminated sediments contribute to the following use impairments: degradation of benthic invertebrate communities, restrictions on dredging, and fish advisories. A number of stakeholders have conducted sediment quality assessments in the St. Louis River Area of Concern (AOC); and, A GIS-based database is needed to compile and utilize these data.

4 Project Goal To develop a GIS-based sediment quality database to support the assessment, preservation and restoration of the lower St. Louis River Area of Concern (AOC) and adjoining Lake Superior ecosystems.

5 Project Objectives Develop a sediment quality database for the St. Louis River AOC; Develop a GIS-based mapping component to be used in conjunction with the database; and, Provide training to stakeholders on the use and application of the GIS-based sediment quality database.

6 Primary Applications Allow users to access sediment quality data; Allow users to view the data spatially, along with other GIS-related watershed data; Assist stakeholders with implementing the threephase sediment strategy for the St. Louis River Remedial Action Plan (RAP); and, Further the goals of the Lake Superior Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP) by tracking the occurrence of critical pollutants.

7 Secondary Applications Determine the status and trends of sediment quality indicators; Assist with the development of total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for contaminants in the lower St. Louis River; Provide data for risk assessments of contaminated sediment sites; Map the distribution of contaminated sediments and associated bioeffects (pre- and post-remediation);

8 Secondary Applications (cont.) Provide a means to integrate sediment quality data and habitat information; Compare sediment chemistry data to corresponding Level I and Level II sediment quality target (SQT) values, as well as mean PEC-Qs; Analyze environmental data as part of the MPCA s Environmental Performance Partnership Agreement (EnPPA) requirements; Evaluate the economic and ecological benefits of sediment remediation;

9 Secondary Applications (cont.) Highlight data gaps and possible new areas of sediment contamination; and Assist with the development of a multimedia approach for managing contamination along the waterfront.

10 Summary of Oct Stakeholder Meetings Over 60 people participated in two meetings; Stakeholders suggested the following: include high priority sediment quality indicators and GIS data, consider older data sets, in addition to newer data sets, include geographic coverage of data sets, update the GIS-based database periodically,

11 Summary of Oct Stakeholder Meetings (cont.) Stakeholders suggested the following (cont.): reference sediment quality data to mean low water datum for Lake Superior, provide guidance for treatment of sediment chemistry data below the detection limit, identify links to other information sources, and make the GIS-based sediment quality database broadly available to stakeholders.

12 Project Deliverables Microsoft Access 97 sediment quality database; ArcView 3.2 projects of GIS watershed data; and, Help Section and technical documentation.

13 Sediment Quality Database

14 Summary of Oct Stakeholder Meetings Stakeholders identified the following sediment quality indicators in order of their priority: 1. whole sediment chemistry, 2. whole sediment toxicity, 3. benthic invertebrate community structure, 4. sediment quality triad, 5. physical characteristics of whole sediments, and 6. tissue chemistry (fish and benthic species).

15 Development of the Sediment Quality Database Identified 37 sediment quality data sets, collected since 1990; Prioritized data sets for inclusion in database: data sets generated by MPCA, available in electronic format, provided broad geographic coverage, and withheld benthic community data due to inadequate resources.

16 Development of the Sediment Quality Database (cont.) Evaluated data quality according to pre-defined criteria; Incorporated all or part of 20 data sets into a MS Access 97 database; Verified data according to project QA/QC procedures; and, Audited the MS Access 97 database.

17 Summary of Data Incorporated Analytical chemistry results for 423 surficial sediment samples; Analytical chemistry results for 658 sub-surface sediment samples; Sediment toxicity test results for 303 surficial sediment samples; Sediment bioaccumulation test results for 6 surficial sediment samples; and, Fish tissue residue results for 39 samples (from 2 sites).

18 Ancillary Data Captured Bibliographic references; Geographical coordinates (latitude/longitude and UTM); Laboratory qualifier codes; Mean PEC-Quotients; Sample collection dates; and, Sediment sample depths, water depths, and soft sediment depths.

19 Watershed GIS Data Compiled in ArcView 3.2 Projects

20 Summary of Oct Stakeholder Meetings Stakeholders identified the following GIS data sets as high priority: locations of sediment hot spots, locations of brownfield sites, Superfund sites, hazardous waste sites, fill sites, and other landbased disposal sites, location and timing of dredging activities, land use information (e.g., roads), water use information (e.g., recreation areas, marinas, public swimming beaches), substrate types,

21 Summary of Oct Stakeholder Meetings (cont.) Stakeholders identified the following GIS data sets as high priority: location of wetlands, location of sediment sources (including information on local topography and geology), location of current and historical industrial sites, location of other contaminant sources (e.g., airborne contaminants), and natural heritage information.

22 Summary of Oct Stakeholder Meetings (cont.) Stakeholders identified the following GIS data sets as low priority: location of groundwater discharge and recharge, distribution of mussels, location of fish sampling stations, location of water quality sampling stations, location of drinking water intakes, and bathymetry information.

23 Selection of GIS Software Compiled GIS data using ESRI s ArcView software: version 3.2, compatible with NOAA s Query Manager and related tools, and widely available. Upgrading to ArcView 8.x will be identified as a priority if funding is secured to do additional work on the GIS-based sediment quality database.

24 Development of ArcView 3.2 Projects Acquired GIS data: based on input from stakeholders, internet searching for publicly available data, directly from MPCA staff and stakeholders, and, digitized data in-house (MESL). Evaluated GIS data based on: reliability of data source, age, and, quality.

25 Development of ArcView 3.2 Projects (cont.) Compiled basemap data: digital orthographic aerial photographs, digital orthographic topographic maps, and, basic line and polygon theme data. Compiled ArcView 3.2 Projects: categorized data into 10 main themes, and UTM projection at 1:32,000 scale.

26 Listing of ArcView 3.2 Projects 1. Contaminated Areas 2. Ecological Areas 3. Geographic Features 4. Hydrology 5. Land Use 6. Recreation 7. USEPA Inland Sensitivity Atlas 8. Water Quality 9. Water Use 10. Black & White Basemap

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31 NOAA s Query Manager Software

32 Two Platforms for Viewing Data Main delivery platform is MS Access 97 database (discussed previously): more flexibility for querying data, best choice for intermediate to advanced users, and data available on project CD. Secondary delivery platform is NOAA s Query Manager software: easy-to-use user-interface, less flexibility for querying data, best choice for novice users, and data available from NOAA s web site.

33 Query Manager Software Based on a standard relational database structure; Menu of flexible, built-in database queries; and, Direct link to mapping application (MARPLOT).

34 Help Section and Technical Documentation

35 Help Section for Sediment Quality Database Primarily designed to provide guidance for using the Sediment Quality Database in MS Access 97 format: database structure and contents, retrieving and querying data, options for data treatment, and linking with ArcView 3.2 projects. Also provides guidance for access and set-up of NOAA s St. Louis River Watershed database and Query Manager and MARPLOT software.

36 Help Section for the ArcView 3.2 Projects Provides the following information and guidance: summarizes the GIS data compiled, describes how the data are organized, instructions for displaying data, and linking with the MS Access 97 database.

37 Technical Documentation Outlines the methods used to develop the database and ArcView 3.2 projects; Provides relevant information regarding data management issues; and Provides documentation to be incorporated in future quality assurance project plans (pending the acquisition of additional funds).

38 Next Steps

39 Next Steps Obtain funding to maintain and update the GISbased sediment quality database over time; Expand the database to include benthic community structure data; Incorporate additional GIS data for the Superior area; Periodically solicit feedback from stakeholders to ensure it meets their needs; and, Expand the GIS-based database statewide.

40 Demonstration